Fire-escape and alarm



w. s FRENCH.- FIRB ESCAPE AND ALARM.

(N0 Mqdel.)

No; 291,326. Patented Jan, 1,1884.

INVENTORQ Zmfi ATTORNEYS.

WITNESSES: fi

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM S. FRENCH, OF J AOKSON, MICHIGAN.

FIRE-ESCAPE AND ALARM.

srncrrrcn'rron forming part of Letters Patent No. 291,326, dated January 1, 1884.

Application filed March 26, 1883. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM S. FRENCH, of Jackson, in the county of Jackson and State of Michigan, have invented a new and Im proved Combined Fire-Escape and Alarm, of which the following is a full, clear, andexact description.

The object of the invention is to combine a fire-escape and alarm, as hereinafter described, and pointed out inthe claim.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a portion of a building, showing my improved fire-escape, the front of the inclosing-case being removed. Fig. 2 is a section of the apparatus on linemc, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a section on line 3/ y, Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a section on line z 2, Fig. l, a part being broken away; and Fig. 5 is a modification of the bell-alarm.

I propose to arrange a drum or reel, a, on a shaft, 1), in bearings in the cornice-brackets c, or any approved supports suitably for winding up a chain or other approved ladder, cl, to be stored in a case, 6, protecting it from the weather and concealing it from viewuntil wanted for use, the drum being .held by a ratchet-wheel, e, and pawl f, and the pawl having cords or wires 9 extending from it through the different rooms to be pulled from any one at any time by any person who, may discover a fire. The drum is also to be made to sound an alarm-bell, h, while the ladder is running down ,by means of tappetst' and ayoke, j. The drum is to be provided with a clockspring, Z, or equivalent device, to set it in rotation. When the pawl f is disconnected and a irictionbrake, 0, will be provided to control the speed of the drum in letting down the ladder, which may consist of a friction-band of steel arrangedto bear on the face of a pulley on the shaft, and having one end connected with the door is, employed to close the opening at the lower part of the inclosing-case e and between the partitions 6 through which the ladder descends to be brought into action by the door when it opens, said door being arranged to drop open when the drum begins to turn, it being held shut by the lower rung, Z, of theladder, andalong staple m, on the door, through which the ladder runs for the purpose of automatically closing and opening the door. The said lower rung of the ladder is provided with a hook, n, that is to be hooked into an eye-stud fixed in the pavement for the purpose stantly afford good and safe means of escape it from any floor and any part of the building, the ladder being placed in front of hall-windows. It may be constructed with but little expense, and will not be unsightly on a building.

I propose in practice to employ an eccentric, as shown in Fig. 5, or a crank or other equivalent device on the drum-shaft, insteadof the tappets i and yoke j, whenever it may be preferred to do so.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is p The combination, with the spring-drum a, carrying a flexible fire-escape ladder, tap'pets and ratchet'wheel c, of the pawl-lever f, provided with the pull-cord g, the pivoted yoke j, and a bell, h, connected by a cord, wire, or chain with the yoke, whereby on pulling the pawl-cord the drum will open out the escapeladder and ring the alarm, as described.

YVILLIAM S. FRENCH.

Witnesses:

O. M. J ENKS, WM. HARVEY POTTS. 

